Having Sleep Problems or Insomnia During Menopause?

It's obvious that we all need sleep. Getting a good night's rest is a great way of ensuring that you'll be up and alert the next day, with plenty of energy. Unfortunately, this doesn't always happen. And with menopause, it can be all the worse. Even more unfortunate, is that this can be inevitable, as menopause itself is. However, there are a few ways of battling insomnia in order to get a good night's sleep.

Reasons

The reasons behind insomnia during menopause have to do with all of the hormone's in a woman's body switching, changing, and dropping. With her estrogen and progesterone levels fluctuating like crazy (thanks to menopause), she may be in for a heap of trouble when it comes to frustrating symptoms. On the bright side, most sleeping problems during menopause can be attributed to other menopause symptoms. So, by relieving these menopause signs, you can greatly reduce the sleep problems associated with menopause. These can include:

• Night Sweats: Night sweats, or hot flashes during the night, can easily affect a woman's night sleep. With bouts of perspiration and intense heat throughout the night, it's not hard to see why.
• Stress: Anxiety and stress, needless to say, can make for a very hard time to sleep. This is especially true during menopause, in which stress can increase greatly.
• Mood Swings: Mood swings, too, can make your night a nightmare, pardon the pun.

Another underlying reason behind bad sleep due to menopause, is the fact that during menopause, there is the large drop in estrogen and other hormone levels. This is especially true in regards to estrogen, because estrogen itself will cause the reduced levels of a chemical in the brain known as serotonin. Basically, serotonin is the primary chemical that causes you to be tired and go to sleep. Putting two and two together, the lack of estrogen causes the lack of serotonin, and the lack of serotonin causes the lack of sleep.

Treatments

So what can you do to battle this? Here are three great possible solutions to try in order to stimulate a better night's sleep:

• Environment: Keep yourself in a “sleepable” environment, meaning make sure the room is dark and quiet. Turn off the lights and shut the blinds (as if you don't already), and keep it quiet, unless of course certain other factors help you (i.e. soft music, the radio playing, nature sounds, etc.). Also, try to make it as cold as you can in your room. Doing so will help to prevent night sweats, which could otherwise disrupt your sleep.
• Avoid Stimulants: Make sure to avoid stimulants throughout the day if you, or at least several hours before going to bed. These would include: tobacco, alcohol, spicy foods, and caffeine.
• Think Positive: Before you go to bed, put yourself in a peaceful situation and a positive state of mind. Doing so can help to prevent anxiety and stress that could otherwise cause a fitful sleep. Thinking positive and avoiding stressful situations is the way to go when you're trying to cope with menopause and everyday life, and it can definitely help out in the long run when it comes to achieving deep and restful sleep.

Taking these considerations into mind and applying them to your everyday life can help to fight insomnia and get a great sleep pattern for nights to come.